News on April 13 Recently, a man in Fuzhou reported that his 61-year-old uncle died in an accident while taking Chengdu Airlines flight EU2241 from Chengdu to Fuzhou. According to family members, the deceased had just undergone tophi surgery 9 days ago. Before boarding the flight on April 10, the family members signed the relevant disclaimer.
During the flight, the 61-year-old passenger developed physical abnormalities, and then his condition continued to deteriorate and he lost vital signs.
After the flight arrived in Fuzhou, the passenger was sent to the hospital for treatment, but eventually died after the rescue failed. The family members said that the cause of death was sepsis and they hoped that the airline would proceed with the aftermath as soon as possible.
In response, Chengdu Airlines staff responded that they have contacted the family and the incident is still under investigation. The specific situation will be subject to the final investigation results.
Coincidentally, on February 13, 2025, on Sichuan Airlines flight 3U6979 from Dazhou, Sichuan to Quanzhou, Fujian, a 61-year-old female passenger suddenly fell ill and eventually passed away.
At that time, a lawyer interpreted this and stated that Article 822 of my country’s Civil Code stipulates: “During the transportation process, the carrier shall make every effort to rescue passengers who are suffering from acute illness, childbirth, or distress.” This means that when a passenger suddenly becomes ill during the trip, the airline has the legal obligation to provide full medical assistance.
As for whether the airline needs to bear responsibility, the key lies in whether the flight staff did their best to rescue the passenger after discovering the passenger's physical abnormality, and whether there were other inappropriate behaviors.
If there is evidence that the crew did not try their best to rescue, the airline must bear the corresponding responsibility, but it is difficult to actually identify the relevant evidence.
In addition to whether rescue is in place, another core issue is to determine whether the passenger's own health condition is suitable for taking a flight, and the role of his or her underlying medical conditions in the death outcome.
If the passenger's death is caused by his own health and the airline has fully fulfilled its reasonable rescue obligations, it does not need to bear liability according to law. On the contrary, if the airline has delays, negligence, etc. during the rescue process, it still needs to bear corresponding legal liability.